Mummy Dearest
by Lady Silence
Summary: Finished Mummies, magic, a couple explosions... Hey it's a xover with the movie series The Mummy.
1. Part 1

TITLE: Mummy Dearest  
  
AUTHOR: Silence  
  
DISCLAIMER: Joss, Fox, UPN and whoever own all things Buffy. Stuff from The Mummy belong to Universal Studios and Stephen Sommers and whoever else has legal claim. Which isn't me.  
  
SPOILERS: General warning for Buffy, and EVERYTHING for The Mummy series  
  
FEEDBACK: Please?  
  
SUMMARY: A mummy exhibit on the Hellmouth always leads to mayhem.  
  
DEDICATION/BLAME: Xandman, cause while I had been pondering this idea since I read The Mummy Returns, him suggesting it gave me an ego boost that actually got me to write it. Weirdbard, who gave me the title as his first suggestion, which I snatched fast, cause I liked it. And last but not least, Sugar. It's the key to all things in life.  
  
AUTHORS NOTES: This is a crossover. With 2 of my favorite things. Buffy and The Mummy series. And in my world… season 6 did not end the way it did. ;p  
  
Some things may be wrong… but I used a lot of things from the book version of The Mummy Returns & a script I found online for The Mummy.  
  
_______  
  
PART 1  
  
Alexander Harris, otherwise known as Xander was pouting. Not a 'I'm so sad I need a hug' pout, but more of a 'Pouting gets me what I want' pout. Unfortunately the target of the pouting was a very strong willed Buffy Summers.  
  
In other words, he could pout all he wanted and the slayer wouldn't give in.  
  
Buffy merely stared him down. "We're going."  
  
"Please?"  
  
"Going."  
  
The two were sitting at the large table in The Magic Box arguing. As if that wasn't obvious. They were both bored out of their minds and didn't have Willow to annoy. The witch was with her girlfriend Tara on vacation courtesy of a trip Tara won. Not only that, but Dawn had been given the chance to go to Paris with her and Buffy's father. Naturally she went.  
  
Rupert Giles walked back in the shop from his lunch break to see the 'dynamic duo' still at it. He sighed. "Are you two still arguing?"  
  
"From the sound of that sigh it's pretty obvious you know we still are G-man." Xander said.  
  
"Don't call me that." Giles said as he headed for the cash register. "What in the world are you bickering about anyway?"  
  
Buffy's eyes lit up at the chance to explain. "Well, you see there's a new exhibit at the museum and Xander refuses to go."  
  
"Since when are you interested in the museum?" Her watcher asked. "Is it a showcase on fashion through the millennia?"  
  
"Ha ha." Buffy said with a glare. "It's something mom got to help with in the planning stages. They wanted her input on some things…"  
  
"It's a mummy exhibit!" Xander blurted out. "I'm not going. Déjà vu much?"  
  
"Don't be a wimp. It's not even an Inca mummy. It's an Egyptian one!" Buffy said.  
  
Xander shook his head firmly. "No way in hell I'm going with you."  
  
__________  
  
"I really hate you." Xander said as he and Buffy wandered the museum in search of the new exhibit.  
  
Buffy merely smirked. "Unlike you, my pouty face works."  
  
"I'll have you know my pouting has gotten me many things."  
  
"Like what?" Buffy asked. Her friend opened his mouth and she stopped him, "And sex with Anya doesn't count."  
  
"There's no need to pout when that's an issue."  
  
Buffy rolled her eyes, "Oh lord. Hey look! There it is!" She pointed to a large doorway to the left. "C'mon!"  
  
Xander allowed himself to be dragged into the room just in time for the tour guide and her little tour talk. He took a quick glance around, taking note of all the ancient Egyptian artifacts set up. Next to the tour guide was a large glass case about seven feet tall. In it was a large cocooned figure, which one could only guess to be the star of the show.  
  
The tour guide was a tall young woman with straight ebony hair that fell just above her shoulders, and she had a somewhat olive skinned complexion. Her uniform looked like something from 'Stewardess's R Us' and was a shade of blue that just said 'boring'.  
  
"We here at Sunnydale have truly been given a gift." She said. Her nametag read 'Niki', and she spoke with an accent that Xander didn't recognize. "Before us is Imhotep. He was once the holiest of the high priests to the Pharaoh Seti, and he was entrusted the task of preparing the dead and granting them safe passage to the afterlife. His fate was sealed as soon as he dared to fall in love with Anck-su-namun, the Pharaoh's mistress. No man was allowed to touch her… She fell in love with Imhotep, and they became lovers. The pharaoh found out and was murdered by the couple. Anck-su-namun killed herself so that her lover could resurrect her and they would be together once more."  
  
Niki glanced at the case, a strange look on her face. "During the ceremony, the royal guard disrupted him, and they punished Imhotep and his priests, by having them mummified alive. Imhotep received the Hom-Dai. The worst of all ancient curses."  
  
Xander groaned and nudged Buffy. "How much you want to bet that we get to save the world again soon?"  
  
"If I took that bet every time you offered it, I'd be in debt for at least a hundred years." Buffy grinned at him. "Now shh. I want to hear this."  
  
The tour guide had continued. "The curse was so horrible that it had never been bestowed before. He was to be remained sealed inside his sarcophagus, the undead for all of eternity. If he were to be released, he would be a walking disease, a plague upon mankind, an unholy flesh eater, with the strength of ages, power over the sands, and the glory of invincibility."  
  
"Oh now I KNOW we're going to get involved." Xander muttered.  
  
"They say that He was once released in the 1920's." Niki said. "It rained fire in Cairo, and water turned to blood… the sun turned black…" She chuckled. "But if that had been true, we wouldn't be here now would we?" The crowd laughed and Niki flashed a smiled. "Now if you'll follow me, I'll introduce you to the legend of the Scorpion King."  
  
The tour group followed Niki like a herd of sheep, all except Xander and Buffy. Buffy had wandered over to a pedestal with a glass case on it. She pointed. "Hey look."  
  
Xander stepped up behind her to see what she was looking at. "What is it?"  
  
"That book is made of gold!" She said. In the case was an oversized book made of gold with ornate hieroglyphs carved on to the cover. Buffy stared at in awe. "Solid gold..."  
  
"No kidding? For real?" Xander asked.  
  
Buffy nodded. She began reading the plaque in front of it. "The book of Amun-Ra."  
  
"The book of the Living."  
  
Buffy and Xander spun around and found them face to face with a young man who looked to be in his mid-twenties. He had light brown hair and a disheveled, but friendly smile on his face. It didn't hurt that he was rather good looking in a dashing and debonair sort of way. He nodded and smiled in greeting. He pointed at the golden treasure. "There is a companion tome to this one, but it's been lost for god knows how long. It was called the Book of the Dead. It's what Imhotep was going to use to resurrect Anck-su-namun."  
  
"Nice little book ends I'll bet." Buffy said. "Mind if I ask who you are since you gave us coronaries?"  
  
The man laughed. "The name's Jackson Randell."  
  
"I'm Xander, this is Buffy." Xander said. He frowned, as Jackson's eyes seemed to settle on Buffy for a bit too long. "How do you know about these books?"  
  
Jackson blinked, and removed his gaze from Buffy reluctantly. "I was put in charge of the layout of the exhibit."  
  
"Really? It looks great." Buffy grinned flirtatiously, much to Xander's annoyance.  
  
"Well, I can't really take too much credit. I just used the basic layout that my predecessor was planning."  
  
Buffy frowned. "You wouldn't be talking about Joyce Summers would you?"  
  
Jackson nodded. "Actually yeah. You know her?"  
  
"My mom."  
  
"Really? I'd love to meet her. I never did find out why she didn't do this herself… I mean they commissioned her from her own gallery for this…"  
  
"She died." Buffy said sadly.  
  
"Oh." Jackson looked at her sadly. "I'm sorry. You must think I'm an idiot for going on like that."  
  
"Yes we do." Xander said. "We'll be going now." He grabbed Buffy by the arm and dragged her out of the building, ignoring her protests and Jackson's look of shock.  
  
As soon as they made it outside, in the California sunshine, Buffy wrenched her arm free of his grip. "What the hell did you do that for?" She hissed.  
  
"First of all, you were gazing at him like a school girl."  
  
"So? I'm single, I haven't had a date since Riley, AND he's cute. Who do you think you are? My boyfriend?"  
  
Xander shook his head vehemently. "Of course not! But there was something that just bothered me about him. Gut instinct."  
  
"I think you're being too overprotective of me. I'm the slayer. I can take care of myself."  
  
"I know you can. And maybe I am being protective. I don't want to see you hurt. Plus… that whole Imhotep spiel was giving me the wiggins."  
  
Buffy arched an eyebrow. "You too? I thought it was a cool story, but it just had a… I dunno, a vibe."  
  
"Want to try and take precautions to avoid another apocalypse?" Xander asked.  
  
"We can try." Buffy said. She grinned at him. "To the bat cave, boy wonder!"  
  
"Why do I have to be boy wonder?"  
  
"You look better in the red sp—"  
  
"Hey!"  
  
_______  
  
Elsewhere in Sunnydale…  
  
A figure opened a tome identical to the Amun-Ra, except rather than gold, the book was obsidian. There was a soft chuckle as the figure began reading from the book…  
  
And in the museum Imhotep began to squirm from his prison. 


	2. Part 2

Disclaimer in part 1

PART 2

Buffy flipped lazily through one of Giles's books. "So you think this Impotent—"

Giles sighed. "Imhotep."

"Word of advice, Buff, no guy ever wants to be called impotent." Xander said.

Anya, who had finally returned from her three-hour break, was at the counter as usual. "You don't have that problem. I should know. Xander's a tiger when it comes to sex. I remember this one woman whose husband started a fling with a barmaid and she asked me to make hi—"

"Um, honey?" Xander interrupted. "I don't think they want to hear this."

"I was just getting to the good part!" Anya whined.

Buffy rolled her eyes and held her book up in front of her face. "I really hope Imhotep does come back. Maybe mummy boy can off her." She muttered.

Giles glanced briefly at her in concern before focusing on his research. "According to this, there WAS an incident in 1923 a group of people managed to find Hamanaptra." The watcher looked up to see three blank looks. He sighed wearily. "The City of the Dead." 

"I feel so comforted by that."  Buffy said. "Hellmouth meet Dead City."

"Is there any way to stop this guy?" Xander asked.

"We don't even know if he'll be brought back." Giles said. "You told me the young man at the museum mentioned the Book of the Dead was lost."

"So?" Anya shrugged from behind the cash register. "What's the book do?"

"It's what brings him back to life." Giles said. He shrugged. "As much as I hate to say it, it's been quiet lately and I haven't seen any prophecies or special dates coming. I don't think we have anything to worry about."

Buffy and Xander looked over at each other and groaned. "We're screwed." They said in unison.

________  

"Where am I?" Imhotep demanded in his raspy voice, in his ancient dialect. He searched his surroundings, only to see that he was alone in the museum.

And very much the rotted corpse he usually started out as. His gaze fell to the Book of Amun-Ra, and he sneered. "The cursed book…"

He stalked over to a display case holding some decorative black urns and made a grab for them. He lifted one up. "Arise, my servants! Collect your bones! Gather your limbs! Shake the earth from your flesh! Your master has returned!"

The mummy ripped off the lid of the urn and a mass of black sand exploded out of it. The sand hit the floor and transformed itself into several armed and very dead warriors. They stood at the ready, swords and spears looking as deadly as when they were first forged.

"Find who summoned me. Find the Book of the Dead!" He shouted at his mummy soldiers. 

As the soldiers stomped off in obedience, their master began to make his own exit. Imhotep paused by the Book of Amun-Ra and stared at it, as if debating what to do. With a firm nod to himself, he shattered the glass case and stormed off, book in hand.

And from the security office, some one watched the event intently. The watcher pulled out a cell phone and pressed speed dial. It hadn't even finished ringing when some one picked up. "He who shall not be named has returned."

_____ 

After an uneventful afternoon of researching and finding nothing, Buffy soon found herself on patrol in the good old cemeteries of Sunnydale. Buffy was, at the moment, leaning against an old stone statue of an angel praying when she felt her slayer sense go wild. She gripped her stake tightly and prepared herself. She leapt at her prey...

"Watch what you're doing!"

Only to find it was just Spike.  Buffy glared and lowered her stake, but not her guard. "Oh. It's just you."

Spike ran his hand through his hair and tried to fix his jacket. "Bloody hell blondie, can't even say hello like a normal girl?"

"When it's you?" Buffy asked. She tilted her head and feigned thought. "Hmm. Let me think... no." She smirked at him. "What brings you out here, Mr. Idol?"

"Cute." Spike said. "I came looking for something to kill. What else would I be doing?"

"Stalking the mighty Buffy again?" Xander replied as he joined them.

Buffy sighed. "What are you doing here?"

"I thought I'd help patrol." Xander answered.

"She doesn't need you. She has me." Spike snapped.

Xander frowned, "Gee, why don't I find that comforting?"

"Oh get over yourself tinker toy boy." Spike said. "You and that damn high and mighty attitude towards me is getting tired."

"High and mighty? You're evil!" Xander pointed out.

"What's your point?"

"Will you two shut up already?" Buffy shouted. "You're both acting like a couple of five year ol—" Buffy stopped short. "Uh-oh."

"Uh-oh? What uh-oh?" Spike asked.

Xander followed Buffy's gaze and his face fell. "That uh oh."

Stalking towards them was a very rotted, very dead, and not too happy looking corpse.

"Xander…" Buffy began, "Is that thing carrying what I think it is?"

Xander nodded weakly. "Amun-Ra…"

"Something tells me that would be Imhotep then." Buffy said.

"Oh you've met him?" Spike said. "Then no wonder he looks pissed. Did you sleep with him too?"

"Oh shut up!" Buffy snapped. 

Imhotep stopped a few feet away and stared at them.

The trio stared back.

The mummy said something that no one understood.

Xander stared at Imhotep.

He stared back.

There was a lot of staring, and finally Buffy had enough. "Oh come on already!!"

Imhotep, who was still watching them, narrowed his eyes and pointed. "E-heeby-uut Setna!"

And then out of nowhere four mummy soldiers leapt into sight.

"Bloody hell." Spike turned to Xander. "I just know this is your fault."

"Argue later. Fight now." Buffy ordered as she began trading blows with one of the soldiers.

A sword-wielding mummy started toward Buffy's unguarded back, only to find himself tackled by Spike.

That left two more soldiers, who were both heading for Xander.

Xander picked up the sword Spike's mummy had dropped and swung it in front of him. The two mummies marched towards him, hunkered into attack position and they opened their mouths and let loose an unearthly screech.

Stepping backwards, trying to put even a little more space between them, Xander managed to raise his sword in time as one of the mummies swung their blade at him.

Meanwhile, Buffy had managed to wrench the spear out of her mummy's hands and was now in the processes of making him swiss cheese. As the mummy crumpled to the ground the slayer turned to the others to see Spike trading punches and wrestling with one mummy and Xander sword fighting with two others.

Buffy's mind clicked into gear as she headed straight for Xander, taking note that he was actually handling himself well. Extremely well. Before she could reach him however, she felt herself being lifted off the ground. 

"What the hell?" She looked over at Imhotep, whose rotting, gaping face was grinning evilly, his hands out stretched. "Oh crap." The next thing she knew, she was being tossed into a nearby statue. She slammed into the cold stone and fell to the ground with a moan.

"Buffy!" Xander cried out. He swung his sword and decapitated the mummy in front of him. Before it even fell Xander was running over towards Buffy.

The other soldier attacking Xander swung it's sword at him, and Xander dived into a roll, narrowly avoiding the blade. He finished his roll but rising to his feet in a rather graceful maneuver and threw his sword at the mummy. It buried itself in its chest and the creature stumbled backwards and fell to the ground.

Imhotep, who had watched this all in stride, merely nodded his head, as if confirming something to himself. He took one last look at the trio and walked away.

__________ 

_She fell to the ground, clutching her stomach, her face twisted in pain, with blood oozing between her fingertips. She saw her brother thrown across the clearing, and then she heard a scream._

_And there HE was... looking down at her, his eyes filled with horror. "God no..."_

_"Is she… how bad..?"_

_"Dad—can you help her? Please help her!"_

_"Son, you need to stay back—please stay back! Jonathan... keep him away from this."_

_She closed her eyes, and felt her mind drift briefly before trying to focus on what was happening._

_He said something... as if just by saying so, she'd be all right. She knew better, she could already feel herself losing her tenuous grip on life. She shook her head._

_He asked her what to do, and she knew he wanted answers. Answers she couldn't give... so she gave him an order. "Take...  take care of our... son."_

_"Don't you dare leave me—we have so much left to do. I need you so much."_

_She smiled at him softly, weakly. "I love you."_

_With the release of one breath… she was gone._

_______ 

Buffy's eyes flew open and she let out a shriek. "No!"

There was a loud ruckus and the sound of footsteps and the door flew open. "Buffy?"

"Xander?" Buffy asked hesitantly. She took a swift look of her surroundings and realized she was in her room. She let out a sigh of relief. "I'm okay."

Xander grinned at her. "Physically you should be, but mentally, that's a whole different issue."

Buffy stuck her tongue out at him and threw a pillow at him. "Ha. What happened?"

"Ow." He said as the pillow hit him in the face. "Thanks... you didn't miss much. Spike and I finished off the rest of the skirt wearing dead guys, Imhotep disappeared, and we brought you back here."

"How long have I been out?"

"Since last night." Xander said. He joined her on the bed. "So what was the scream for?"

"Just a dream." Buffy said and her right hand went instinctively to her stomach. "It seemed… real."

"Slayer dream?"

She shook her head. "I don't think so. It was something else."

"Want to tell me about it?"

"Well, it w—"

"Xander! Buffy! Get down here!" Giles cried out. "I think we have a problem."

Buffy hopped out of bed and headed for the door. She glanced back at Xander and shrugged. "I'll tell you later. Kay?"

Xander nodded. "Sure thing."

They headed down to the living room and joined Giles and Spike.

"So what's the deal?" Buffy asked.

"The Bringer of Death, He Who Shall Not Be Named, the creature who will not stop until the earth has been consumed in pestilence and flame..."

"Oh that sounds peachy." Buffy turned her attention to the voice and a familiar face stepped into view. "You! You're—"

"The tour guide! Niki!" Xander exclaimed.

Niki nodded. Instead of her bland blue uniform, she was dressed in black leather pants, black billowing pirate styled shirt, a red sash with a sword attached to it. She had strange ritualistic tattoos on her cheekbones. 

"He has risen. And he has brought death with him."


	3. Part 3

Disclaimer in part 1  
  
  
  
PART 3  
  
"My name is Niranjana. I am chieftain of the Med-Jai warriors." Niki, or rather Niranjana, began. "My people were given the task of watching He Who Shall Not Be Named, and to keep him from being revived."  
  
"Didn't do a bloody good job of it, now did you." Spike pointed out.  
  
Niranjana glowered at him. "The Book of the Dead was lost. We had no idea where it would turn up. We thought it best to keep our eyes on He Who—"  
  
"Imhotep. Yeah yeah. We got that part." Buffy interrupted. "He's awake and he's cranky. How do we stop him?"  
  
"The Amun-Ra." The Med-Jai said. "One can use it to take his immortal soul. By doing so, he will be vulnerable. It was done once before. It can be done again."  
  
"Question." Xander said.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Who stopped him before?"  
  
"The O'Connells." The warrior replied. "Rick and—"  
  
"Evelyn." Buffy said suddenly.  
  
Niranjana looked at her curiously. "That's correct. How did you know?"  
  
Buffy eyes widened in surprise. "I said that out loud?" She shrugged. "I don't know. It just came to me."  
  
"Interesting." Niranjana said.  
  
"What does Imhotep want?" Giles said, changing the subject to more important matters.  
  
"I think we should be worried about what who raised him wants." Spike commented. "He didn't wake up on his own. Not unless he had a damn alarm clock."  
  
"I believe we should be worried about both actually." Niranjana said. "We have reason to believe it was a cult that worships Imhotep."  
  
"A cult." Xander said. "That makes me feel all warm and fuzzy."  
  
_________  
  
"You." Imhotep said in his ancient tongue. "You are the one who called me."  
  
The robed figure smiled. "I did."  
  
"Yet you…"  
  
"That was then. This is now..." The mystery figure waved the fact away.  
  
"Give me the book."  
  
The figure laughed. "I think not. I'm not a fool. I do however have a gift for you." It snapped it's fingers and a trio of armed men in red turbans entered the room, carrying an ancient box.  
  
"These loyal followers are willing to give their lives for you."  
  
Imhotep smiled maliciously.  
  
So did Rick O'Connell.  
  
__________  
  
Anya was happily counting out money in The Magic Box. The ex- demoness just loved her money. She actually paid more attention to it than Xander. (Although it was pretty hard to tell, since she had a whole stalker persona going when it came to Xander.)  
  
"Excuse me."  
  
Anya looked up and found herself staring at a pair of dark eyes. She blinked and smiled. "Hello, how can I help you?" **Buy something really expensive. Please. I wonder if I can get paid by commission too…** She thought to herself.  
  
The man was tall, buff and had dark hair to match his dark eyes, and Anya almost couldn't tear her gaze away. He smiled at her. "I'm actually hoping you might have some Egyptian artifacts."  
  
"Oh! As a matter of fact we do. We have some really expensive ones at that!" Anya's face brightened at the thought of more money passing through her palm. "I'm Anya. If you'll follow me..."  
  
"Nice to meet you Anya, I'm Vincent."  
  
__________  
  
"So are you going to tell me about the dream?" Xander asked Buffy. The two of them were patrolling once again, after deciding Giles would remain in research mode, Niranjana in translator position and Spike would join the duo after sunset. After all it would be kind of hard for him to patrol with the whole bursting into flames deal.  
  
Buffy frowned. "It was weird."  
  
"How so?"  
  
"I died. Only, it wasn't me. It was like I was seeing things from someone else's memories." She shook her head. "When I woke up, I actually thought I was dead for a moment."  
  
Xander looked at her thoughtfully. "That IS weird."  
  
"What about you? I mean the fight last night. Since when are you that good?"  
  
"Should I be taking offense at that?" Xander asked.  
  
"Yes you should."  
  
"Ha ha."  
  
"So? Have you been training in secret?"  
  
"No. It just kind of came naturally."  
  
"Weird."  
  
"That seems to describe us well these days." Xander grinned at her.  
  
Buffy chuckled. "Xander, that describes us in general, 24/7." She looked at him curiously. "Why are you looking at me funny? Do I have something on me?"  
  
Xander blinked out of his momentary haze. He hadn't realized he was staring at her. "Huh? Oh sorry. I guess I zoned."  
  
"It's funny," Buffy began. "Even though I was dying in the dream, well maybe not ME but still, I felt safe for a moment."  
  
"When?"  
  
"There was this guy, I think he was mine, or maybe her, husband or something. He just made me feel, I dunno, safe."  
  
Xander froze. "Ya know, I get this feeling we need a lot of fire power. Like shot guns, bazookas..."  
  
"And just where are we going to get that?" Buffy asked.  
  
A blush creeped up Xander's face. "Uh… promise you won't get mad?"  
  
"That depends." The slayer said her eyes narrowing.  
  
"I've kinda been holding back. I took some extra souvenirs while I was still in soldier guy mode."  
  
Buffy instinctively slapped him on the back of the head. "Xander! We could have used that against Glory!"  
  
"Would you believe I forgot I had them?"  
  
"I actually could..." She muttered. She grabbed him by the arm and started for his apartment. "Come on. Let's get your gear."  
  
"Um, actually I put it in storage." Xander said sheepishly. "It's in those rentable warehouses near the Bronze."  
  
"Oh fiiiiine. Lead on Mr. Forgetful."  
  
"It's not my fault I forgot! I was kind of worried about the whole end of the world thing."  
  
"Yeah yeah. Just move that ass."  
  
"Admit it, you think it's cute."  
  
"Do you want me to tell Anya you said that?"  
  
"Ahh… I'd like the previous statement stricken from the record." 


	4. Part 4

Disclaimer in part 1

PART 4

_"I need you to watch the car Alex. We may have to make a quick getaway."_

_"That sounds like a job I could handle."_

_"You're coming with us, Jonathan—we can use every man for this task, and that, strictly speaking, includes you."_

_"You 'need' me to 'watch' the car? Come on, Dad, just because I'm a kid that doesn't mean I'm a dope."_

_"I would never mistake you for a dope, son. Stay here. Watch the car."_

_"Look I know my way around there better than—"_

_"You're staying in the car."_

_"If you hear someone screaming and see a blur running out of there, open the back door—it's just me."_

_".... Jonathan, you stay here and make sure Alex stays put."_

_"Yes, now you're thinking. The boy does have a reckless streak."_

_"You have a streak too. Guess what color?"_

_"Behave—both of you."_

_______ 

"Xander?" Buffy waved her hand in front of his face. They had been searching through Xander's… collection when she realized he hadn't said a word for ten minutes. "Earth to Xander."

Xander snapped to attention. "Wha? Huh?"

"You vanished on me. Again." Buffy rolled her eyes. "No wonder you forgot you had these. You seem to be going senile already. Old age does that to you doesn't it."

"We can't all age as seamlessly as you."

Buffy chuckled. "It's a gift. A slayer has to look good to save the world."

"That must be in the Slayer's Handbook."

"It is. Page 77." Buffy picked up an old looking submachine gun. "Um... Where have I seen this?"

"Old gangster movies. It's a Tommy Gun. They don't make them any more and I saw it sitting in the armory, so… I took it."

"Got any ammo?"

"Got a bunch last summer at a collector's auction. I thought I'd spend some of my hard earned money for myself."

"Uh huh." Buffy looked at him warily. "Anything else?"

"A few shot guns, a couple of grenades..."

"You took grenades?"

"Hey, at least I didn't steal a rocket launcher."

"Borrowed. We sent it back." She noticed Xander looking quickly away. She put the Tommy Gun down and placed her hands on her hips. "You DID return it. Right?"

"Um… under the tarp in the large trunk."

Buffy shook her head. "Men. You see a toy and you think it's yours on sight."

"That would explain Spike wouldn't it." Xander muttered.

"What?"

"Erm... nothing. Don't bother with the launcher, I wasn't able to get any ammo."

"Good. If you did and I wasn't able to use it on Glory I'd have beaten you black and blue."

"I have some dynamite though."

"….."

"I forgot!"

_________ 

"Anya?" Giles called out as he, Niranjana and a blanket covered Spike entered the shop. "Where are you?"

There was a muffled thump followed by a shout of pain. "Ow!"

"What in the world?" Niranjana grabbed the hilt of her sword.

And from out of the basement came Anya carrying a large box, and a very well built man behind her. He was limping slightly as well.

"Sorry about that." Anya apologized. "I hope this doesn't mean you won't buy anything!" She turned to Giles. "This is Vincent. He wants to buy something for a LOT of money."

Giles sighed. "Yes well, we'll be doing some research if you need us."

"I don't need you. I can sell things on my own." Anya stated proudly. "Can I get paid by commission?"

"No you may not."

"Damn."

Niranjana exchanged a 'look' with Spike. "Is she always like this?"

"You should see her during a bloody apocalypse." Spike said as he hopped onto a sitting position on the steps near the large round table. He pulled out a pack of cigarettes. "You smoke?"

"No." She said with a look of disdain.

Giles strolled past Spike with a book in one hand and snatched the pack of cigarettes from the vampire with the other. "You aren't smoking in MY shop."

"Bloody spoil sport."

Anya merely ignored the group, as she was intent on showing the box of artifacts off to her prospective customer. She pulled out a large golden bracelet that looked like a scorpion. "And this is the Bracelet of Anubis..."

The Med-Jai warrior's head jerked up and she rushed over to Anya. She plucked the bracelet out of Anya's hand. "This is NOT for sale."

Anya glared at her. "Hey! You don't work here. Giles!"

Giles glanced at them, about to wave the problem away, when he noticed to look on Niranjana's face. He cleared his throat. "She's right. Not for sale. I uh… have it reserved."

"Oh. Will they pay lots of money?"

"Yes Anya."

"Okay then." She turned back to Vincent, only to find him staring at the bracelet in the strange woman's hand.

"That looks… familiar." Vincent said. He shook his head. "Like I've seen it before."

Niranjana studied him for a moment. Then she did the rudest thing ever.

She knocked him out cold with one swift punch.

"Bloody hell! Can I see that again?"

___________ 

Buffy and Xander were on their way to The Magic Box, so they could share the wealth so to speak, when they came across a very unusual sight.

A rather handsome, muscular, tanned, perfect physical specimen, his head shaved and his body clocked in regal black robes. He was walking around in the middle of the afternoon dressed in strange clothes as if it were natural.

Of course, this being the Hellmouth, one could assume it pretty much was.

The man locked his gaze on to Buffy. And Buffy felt her mind fade…

_"Take my hand…and I will spare your friends."_

_"Oh dear… Have you got any bright ideas?"_

_"I'm thinking, I'm thinking."_

_"Just think of something fast… because if he turns me into a mummy, you're the first one I'm coming after."_

_She walked over to the now completely whole Imhotep._

_She heard, rather than saw, Him pull out his gun… "No."_

_"Don't!" She said harshly._

_The dark robed warrior next to Him grabbed a hold of His arm. "No."_

_She spoke up again, "He still has to take me to Hamanaptra to perform the ritual."_

_"She is right. Live today, fight tomorrow." The warrior said._

_He stared at her intently as he put his gun away. He turned to Imhotep. "I'll be seeing you again."_

_And Imhotep smirked and began leading her away._

_"Evelyn!"_

_And Imhotep spoke again. "Kill them."_

_She screamed…_

And so did Buffy.


	5. Part 5

Disclaimer in part 1

PART 5 

"You killed a paying customer!" Anya accused in disbelief.

"He's not dead." Niranjana shrugged. "I recognized him."

"You did?" Giles asked. "How?"

"He's the Scorpion King." She replied.

"How in the hell do you know that?" Spike asked as he walked over next to her.

"I can… see things about others at times. Do you believe in reincarnation?" Niranjana inquired. She continued before anyone answered. "I am the reincarnation of Anck-su-namun."

Giles' eyes widened. "The former lover to Imhotep? Why is that your against him?"

"My duty is to the world. My minor sight ability is because of it I believe." She shook her head. "In a way, I think my being brought back as a Med-Jai is a way to make up for my past. Or perhaps it's just a way for the gods to twist the knife further into Imhotep."

There was a groan as Vincent slowly came to. His eyes flew open suddenly and he glared at Niranjana accusingly "Why the hell did you hit me?"

Niranjana only stared back at him sternly. "You know why."

"I don't know wh…" His eyes fell towards the bracelet still in her hand. "That... was mine wasn't it."

"It was. Do you remember why?" Niranjana asked.

"Oh great, it's like we're not even here." Spike said.

"Some times I wish you weren't." Giles muttered warily.

Spike waved the comment away. "I'd take offense to that, but I'm too busy watching the lovely lady in black. I'm hoping she'll hit him again."

"If you do not shut up, Spike, I will hit you instead." She snapped at him.

"Can I have that in writing?"

______ 

"Buffy?" Xander looked at her and then back at the stranger across the street. He pulled the gunnysack strapped to his back, filled with weapons, tighter to him and then grabbed Buffy by the shoulders. "Buff! Snap out of it!"

Buffy stopped screaming and she stared at Xander as if she didn't recognize him. "Imhotep..."

Xander cast another glance at the stranger, who hadn't moved. "THAT'S Imhotep?"

"O'Connell..." Buffy whispered. Her eyes rolled back into her head and she fainted.

Xander, who was still holding on to her, caught her easily and swore. Then he heard a strange chittering sound. He looked back and noticed the ground behind him shaking and rising. "Uh oh."

He picked Buffy up and began running in the opposite direction. He heard, and somewhat felt, the ground burst apart and the chittering noise grew louder. Xander risked a look back and he went pale. A horde of beetles was now in pursuit. **Scarabs.** He corrected numbly, not knowing how he knew that fact.

The scarabs were closing in fast, since his gunnysack and Buffy slowed him down. And then, a savior in a red convertible pulled out in front of them.

"Get in!" Jackson Randell shouted. "Hurry up!"

Without a thought, Xander placed Buffy in the back seat and jumped into the passenger side. "MOVE!"

Jackson obliged and peeled out of there.

Imhotep, who had not moved, merely watched them escape.

________ 

"Why are we heading out of town?" Xander asked his 'savior'. 

Jackson pulled the car over to an abandoned gas station that was very familiar to Xander. He parked the car and turned to Xander. "Do you KNOW who that was?"

"Kojack?" Xander answered, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "That was Imhotep."

"Exactly. And I think he wants your girlfriend here." Jackson said.

"She's not my girlfriend." Xander said. "And how do you know all this?"

"You ever hear of the O'Connells?"

"Yeah."

"They were my great grandparents or something of the sort." Jackson replied, a hint of pride surrounding that statement. "Most of my family has pretty much given up the mummy tale as nothing but a story to scare us as kids."

"But you didn't think that."

"Of course not." Jackson replied. "Especially after I began having the dreams."

Xander groaned. "Oh great. What are you, a dream warrior?"

"No. That was a neat movie though… erm anyway, I believe I'm destined to stop him."

"The bald guy with the robe fetish."

"Exactly." Jackson grinned proudly. "Evelyn O'Connell was Nefertiri reincarnated. I think I may be Rick O'Connell!"

"Uh huh." Xander stepped out of the car, dragging his bag of toys with him. He tossed it on the trunk of the car. "That doesn't explain why we're out here."

"I thought it best if we made a stand where there was less people."

"Brilliant." Xander said dryly and opened the sack. He began checking each weapon, and making sure they were loaded. "You realize if we had stayed in town we could have gotten help."

"From who?"

"From the Med-Jai."

"You know them? They're real?"

Xander sighed. "Yes. The resident Imhotep tour guide is apparently their chieftain. She's been keeping tabs on our boy."

"Oh. I didn't know that."

"Do you know why..." Xander's voice trailed off as he picked up the submachine gun. He shook his head as if in a daze. He looked over to his left and blinked in surprise as he found himself staring at a black robed man with tattoos similar to Niranjana's…

It was dark all around him, and Xander soon found himself amidst what he could only call a vision.. Looking through an open trunk was the dark man and another man, who was hidden from Xander's view.

_"You seem prepared for more than just a ride." The dark man said. (Med-Jai maybe?)_

_"Yeah—after what we went through, last time around, I like to stay prepared. You want the twelve gauge?"_

_"Thank you, no—I have become enamored of the repeating weapon."_

_"The Thompson? Take it." The hidden stranger reached for another weapon and the Med-Jai grabbed his wrist. "What?"_

_"You are marked!"_

_"Hey," The hidden fellow said, pulling his hand away. "Who are you to talk?"_

_"Were I to say to you, my friend, 'I am a stranger traveling from the east, seeking that which is lost….'"_

"I would reply… 

"I am a stranger traveling from the west. It is I whom you seek." Xander finished as the vision faded from his sight. He looked around quickly. "What the hell is going on?"

Jackson's eyes were wide. "You... just saw that too?"

"Oh good, I'm not the only one insane here." Xander said.

"Maybe I was wrong." Jackson said thoughtfully. "I saw that… but I was like watching from some other view. I didn't know what was happening."

"Wrong about what?"

"Have you had any other visions previously?" Jackson asked excitedly.

Xander closed his eyes. "Yeah. Two earlier. One while Buffy and I were 'shopping' so to speak. And one right before Buffy started screaming and fainting."

"Were they of an argument between a boy, an older man and the boy's father? Or of Imhotep dragging away a girl?"

Xander ran a hand through his dark hair. "Actually yeah."

"Then I got it! YOU'RE O'Connell! I must be..." Jackson frowned, then groaned. "Damn it. I must be Jonathan reincarnated. The boy was only in one vision. I think I would have preferred being the kid."

"I am NOT this O'Connell guy." Xander insisted. "I'm just a guy that's been living on the hellmouth for way too long." He looked at his watch, then started for the building. "I'm going to make a phone call."

Jackson looked around. "Where the hell are you going to find a working phone around here?"

________ 

"So I'm the Scorpion King." Vincent said in awe.

Niranjana nodded. "I believe you are. And yet, you don't feel compelled to raid the world?"

Vincent just stared at her like she was crazy. "Of course not! I'm just an art dealer who specializes in Egyptian artifacts."

"A really buff one." Anya pointed out.

Giles hung up the phone. "That was Xander. Apparently Imhotep is whole and Buffy's out of it. This Jackson Randell is claiming that he and Xander are reincarnated as well. Something about Xander being Rick. I wasn't able to get much before the line went dead."

Spike rolled his eyes. "Am I the only one who thinks all this happening now is a bit too bloody perfect?"

Vincent looked confused. "What is he talking about?"

"He's right." Anya said. "This is Sunnydale, we have people who've fought an ancient mummy one way or another and..." Her eyes went wide and she paled. "Uh oh."

Giles groaned inwardly. "What is it, Anya?"

"I'm going to lose Xander." She whispered.

"He's going to die? Giles asked, horrified.

Anya blinked. "What? Oh. Nothing like that! I hope." She sighed sadly. "If Xander's this Rick, then there's an Evelyn around. And it's obviously not me since I was still doing the whole vengeance demon bit."

"So where's Evelyn then?" Giles asked.

Everyone looked at each other in confusion (especially poor Vincent). 

Anya just rolled her eyes at them. "Am I the only one who thinks its Buffy?"

Niranjana thought that over a moment. "I saw something in her, but when Giles explained she was the slayer I assumed that was it."

"It could explain why all this is occurring here in Sunnydale." Giles added. "Buffy could be drawing it all here."

"I suppose this means I don't stand a chance in hell with blondie then." Spike said miserably.

"You never did anyway." Anya grinned impishly. She turned to Niranjana. "Now that I've been thinking, you look familiar. Did you summon me once?"

The chieftain blinked at her in surprise. "No. Wait, Anya? Anyanka?"

Anya nodded excitedly. "That's me! Or it was."

"My mother mentioned that name once. Her name was Chasida." Niranjana said.

"Oh! I remember her! She had me put one of the finest curses I've ever done on a set of triplets. How is she?"

"She's fine actually. She—"

"Bloody hell! Will you two shut up!" Spike shouted. The women glared at him and he ignored them. "We have a mummy to stop remember?"

"Giles," Anya moaned. "Are you going to let him yell at us like that?"

"If it will shut you up, then yes." The watcher replied. "Focus, remember?"

Niranjana blushed. "My apologies, Watcher. I lost myself for a moment. Where are the others then?"

"I outside of town. I know the place." Giles replied. "We'd better go now—"

"I do not think you will be going any where." A voice intruded.

The others turned and Niranjana pulled her sword out instinctively. In the doorway of the shop was a robed figure, smiling. And behind him, the sky grew dark.

"An eclipse?" Anya wondered aloud.

"Imhotep." Niranjana hissed.


	6. Part 6

Disclaimer in part 1

PART 6

Imhotep stared at the group and his eyes fell on the Med Jai woman. "Anck-su-namun?"

"Is there another way out?" Niranjana whispered to Giles.

"Back way." Giles said and turned to lead the others. Only he found the way blocked by a nice group of vampires. "Perhaps not."

"Anck-su-namun?" Imhotep repeated softly.

Niranjana ignored him and ran for the vampires, who happily surged towards her. She moved quickly and decapitated one and knocked a couple of others around. "Get out!"

Anya glanced at everyone briefly and Spike grabbed her by the wrist. "Come on doll."

Giles grabbed a stake from behind the counter and followed hastily. Vincent looked at Imhotep and then his gaze latched on to the Bracelet of Anubis that Niranjana had left on the counter. He snatched it and quickly put it on. And then he felt a surge of power overwhelm him.

Imhotep's eyes filled with recognition. "Scorpion King!"

Giles staked a vampire, "Hurry up!" He called out to Vincent.

Vincent nodded and followed the watcher and the others out the door.

Niranjana forced her way to the door and slammed it shut. She turned to the eight vampires left, a ferocious look on her face. "Well?"

Before they had even stepped towards her she pulled a 9mm from the inside of her billowing shirt. She quickly fired at each vamp and watched them crumple to dust. As the last one's remains scattered the floor a burst of applause filled her ears.

"Wooden ammo." Niranjana explained and turned to Imhotep. "Amused easily I see."

The high priest walked calmly to her. He stopped a few inches from her. "Do you know who you are?" He asked in his ancient tongue.

"I am chieftain of the Med Jai." She announced proudly. "I was once the selfish aristocrat Meela, and the even more vain Anck-su-namun before then."

Imhotep's eyes softened. "Do you remember?"

"I remember everything. And unlike my past lives I will not choose you and chaos instead of the world." Her eyes filled with a determined fire. "It is my duty to stop you. I will not fail, no matter what memories plague me."

He raised his hand toward her face, and brushed Niranjana's cheek lightly. "Trust in me…"

And the chieftain found herself in the pharaoh's palace, face to face with Imhotep still, about to seal their love with a kiss. She felt her resolve fading..

Imhotep leaned closer, "Anck-su-namun..." He whispered.

And then he cried out in pain, clutching his stomach, where the mirror image of his lost love had just kneed him.

"My name is Niranjana." She stated, her voice flat, but her eyes were gazing at him as if she were lost... "Anck-su-namun is dead." The dark haired woman pushed Imhotep to the floor and fled out the door.

______ 

Buffy's eyes opened slowly and she found herself staring at a dark sky. "Um… Have I been out that long?" Xander's face came into view and Buffy shrieked. "Xander! Give me a damn heart attack!"

"I could, but if I did that, we'd be out one slayer. Good slayers are hard to find." He smirked at her.

"Oh shut up." She snapped. She sat up and leaned against the frame of the car. "Why is it dark?"

"Solar eclipse." Replied a voice. Jackson stepped into view, the tommy gun in his hands. "Hi again. And you get to call me Jack."

Buffy took Jackson's appearance in stride. "Hi." She turned her attention back to Xander and got straight to business. "Okay, last I remember, we saw the lost member of Right Said Fred and I freaked. Right?"

"Yup. I don't understand why you did though." Xander said.

"Remember the dream I told you?" At her best friend's nod she continued. "I had a vision as soon as I saw baldy."

The two guys shared a look. Buffy frowned at them and she hopped out of the car. "Am I missing something?"

"What did you see?" Jackson asked.

"Imhotep, looking very much the hottie, a large mob, a couple of guys with those hats shriners wear..." Buffy shrugged. "What?"

Jackson grinned suddenly. "Well then, Hi Evy, nice to meet you."

Buffy looked at him as if he were on crack. "Okay, are you stoned? Because..."

Xander interceded, "Jackson has a theory. He thinks the visions and dreams we've all had are signs we're reincarnated."

"Oh joy." Buffy muttered. She did a double take. "Wait, YOU had a vision?"

"A few actually. The three of us seemed to have shared the mob scene one too."

"Oh so this is like a reunion." Buffy sighed. "As if our lives needed any more confusion."

"So what do we do?" Jackson asked her.

"Don't look at me." Buffy said. "Xander?"

"I'm fresh out at the moment." Was his reply.

Buffy sighed. "Great. I guess I have to..." She paused, her hearing catching something the others couldn't pick up.

It was faint, a whisper, so soft Buffy didn't understand it, and yet knew it was speaking to her. Buffy's eyes glazed over again…

She was staring out at the sapphire sky and she felt an arm slip around her waist, drawing her near, and she felt safe again.

_"How can it seem so lovely," she asked, "when it's so deadly?"_

_"The desert?"_

_She nodded. "When the great armies of the pharaohs moved through the hills of this desert, they perished in the whirlwinds, vultures making carrion of them."_

_"Evy…I've never told you this, but when we first met…that day you and your brother came to my cell in the Cairo prison..."_

_She laughed a little, a bittersweet laugh, "I was so terrible to you."_

_"And I to you...and when we met, I had the strangest sensation…illogical, even crazy. I was facing death…the hangman's noose…and yet, meeting you, I knew I wouldn't die. I knew we were meant to be together, to share a life. So…I wasn't afraid. I knew I couldn't die, not yet."_

_She nodded, a bittersweet smile on her lips._

_He sighed, "I felt that you and I…well, that we had to be together. Kind of a screwball notion, huh? Maybe a dying man's delusion."_

_"But you didn't die."_

_"No, I didn't…thanks to you. Screwy as it all sounds…the librarian and the legionnaire, meant for each other."_

_She found herself beaming at him. "It doesn't sound crazy, Rick—it sounds…just fine. We ARE meant to be together, darling, different as we are—we're like puzzle pieces, disparate shapes, fitting together, snugly, perfectly."_

_He turned her to him, and drew her close, kissing the tip of her nose. "I like your shape…I like the way we fit together."_

"Evy..." A voice whispered.

Xander finished strapping on his holster to his chest and quickly picked up the shot gun nearby. "Okay, I heard that and I really didn't like it." He cast a look at Buffy, only to see her staring blankly past him. "Buffy? Are you in there?"

She merely stared at nothing, as if lost in another world.

"Evelyn?" Jackson tried, walking over to her. 

Buffy blinked at him and smiled serenely. "Jonathan. What are you doing here?"

"Oh this is not happening." Xander said. He heard a crash and spun around, shot gun pumped and aimed.

On the roof of the abandoned gas station was a mummy, and as he watched several more came out of the woodwork. 

"Oh yeah, this just keeps getting better and better." He grimaced.

"Rick!" Buffy suddenly cried out, looking over Jackson's shoulder.

Jackson turned and followed her gaze. His eyes widened. "Maybe I was wrong, Xander."

"About what?" Xander asked as he inched his way over to them.

Out of the shadows of the false night, stepped a dashingly handsome young man, strong-jawed, steely-eyed, collegiate good looks, with a tussled brown hair. He held out his hand. "Evy…"

Buffy smiled excitedly and shoved Jackson out of her way and ran for him. "O'Connell!"

Xander had finally turned around, only to see Buffy embrace the stranger. "Buff! Get away from him! Use some sense!"

"Buffy's not home right now..." Jackson said. "She thinks she's Evelyn."

"A delusional slayer. I thought Faith had that covered." Xander muttered. He heard a thump and spun around again, only to see the mummies advancing. "Jack, start putting that play toy to use!" 

Gunfire from the two young men echoed off the area, but none of it affected Buffy, who was staring into Rick O'Connell's eyes. 

"I knew you'd come back." She whispered.

Rick smiled. "Why wouldn't I? I'll always find you." He leaned in for a kiss.

Buffy's senses suddenly went wild. Her mind was reeling, trying to distinguish three jumbled sets of memories at once. She closed her eyes tightly and let her instinct kick in, praying it would be the right thing. 

She pushed Rick away, startling him and placed a roundhouse kick to his chest, sending him flying. Rick landed on his back but quickly hopped to his feet. He gaped at Buffy, who had gone into a defensive stance. 

Then he vamped out. He sneered at her. "It would have been easier for you if you hadn't resisted."

"I'm not an easy kind of girl." Buffy said, feeling a bit more in control of herself. She was vaguely aware the gunfire had stopped.

"You go Buff!" Xander cheered and tossed his empty shotgun to the ground. He pulled out his revolvers and aimed them at Rick.

Jackson was out of ammo however and tossed his weapon into the car. "What the hell are you?"

"He's a vampire." Buffy said. "Just a pathetic demon who happens to be wearing the face of Rick O'Connell."

Rick laughed and pulled out a small object from his pocket. "A demon with this."

Buffy's eyes widened. "Xand..."

"Run!" Xander cried out as Rick tossed the hand grenade at the trio.

They ran, as fast as they could and then there was silence. A split second later the explosion filled the air and the group, who had managed to get a safe distance away, dived to the ground.

Xander managed a look back. "There goes my favorite stash."

"My car!" Jackson wailed. "He blew up my god damn car! That bastard! Where is he? I'll kill him!"

Buffy just shook her head sadly. "He's gone..." She glanced at Xander, a question in her eyes. "Didn't you bring your own set of..."

Her voice was muffled as a few more explosions filled the air.

"Does that answer your question?" Xander asked loudly. "I think I'm glad I couldn't get any C4..."

"Does anybody know how we're going to get back to town?" Jackson asked miserably.


	7. Part 7

Disclaimer in part 1

PART 7

Buffy, Xander and Jackson were making the trek back to Sunnydale on foot. They'd been at it for awhile now and Jackson had finally shut up about his car, much to Xander's relief, but had moved on to swearing and letting out depressed sighs.

Xander however was more worried about Buffy. She hadn't said a word since they left the fiery inferno and was even trailing behind a bit. He stopped and waited for her to catch up. When she did he flashed her a smile. "Who needs fireworks in the summer when you can blow up classic convertibles?"

She didn't even look at him but kept walking. Xander sighed. "Come on Buffy, talk to me."

Buffy finally stopped. "What do you want me to say? At the moment I have three lives going through my mind. Mine, Evelyn's, AND Nefertiri's." She closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around herself. "It's all jumbling together and I'm having trouble trying to keep myself sane." She opened her eyes, and they were filled with sorrow. "I'm seeing things I don't understand and I keep feeling like I'm MISSING something. And above all I feel like I'm losing myself amidst all these damnable thoughts!"

Xander managed to keep his face calm, even though he was starting worry. Her last comment not only didn't sound like her, but he could have sworn it had a twinge of a British accent in it. He tried another smile out on her. "Buffy, you aren't going to lose yourself. The memories, the feelings, it's all a part of you. It's just parts that have been playing a really lousy game of hide and seek in that head of yours."

"Hide and seek?" She repeated numbly. A bitter smile crossed her lips, "Well I wish they'd go back in to hiding again, because I sure as hell didn't seek them out."

Xander brushed a stray lock of hair from Buffy's face. "Buffy, you'll get through it. Just like you did the Master, Glory, and everything else in between."

"I had you guys though." Buffy pointed out. "This is my head. I really don't think you guys can do much there."

"Willow can always go tramping around in there again when she gets back." Xander suggested.

"Tramping around? Why does that sound dirty to me?" Buffy asked.

"Because my mind is definitely in the gutter now and I'm trying to project that to you." Xander stated. "It's what keeps me sane in times of crisis."

"And here I thought that was sex." Buffy said dryly.

"I don't see Anya around, and unless your willing..."

"Ahem." Jackson cleared his throat. "Hello, audience here. If you two are going do anything kinky, at least wait till we get to town."

Xander grinned at Buffy, "He doesn't want to see any thing steamy."

"Actually I have a video camera in my hotel room." Jackson said, a grin on his own face.

Buffy giggled. "In that case why don't the two of you..."

"Hey!" The guys said in unison.

"Willow's my best friend and all but she doesn't influence me that much." Xander said.

"Look! A car!" Jackson exclaimed.

"Hey Buffy, go hitch us a ride." Xander said. "Show off some leg."

He was rewarded with a glare from Buffy. "Why don't I just push you in front of it instead?"

Jackson frowned. "Oh wait, it's not a car. It's a van. Um, it's slowing down already. Did you flash them, Buffy?"

"What is this, gang up on the slayer day?" Buffy wailed.

"It got your mind off of other things didn't it?" Xander asked.

Buffy nodded begrudgingly. "Yeah yeah. And you know I love ya for it."

The big black van pulled over and the door slid open.

Buffy gasped as she caught a glance inside the van. "Imhotep!"

"It's O'Connell!" Jackson shouted and pointed at the driver.

Imhotep waved a hand and Jackson and Xander went flying backwards. He beckoned towards Buffy and she found herself being pulled into the van.

The mummy merely smiled a mockingly friendly smile.

"Need a ride?" Rick asked from the driver's seat.

_________ 

"I thought I lost you, there."

_"You did—for a little while."_

_"A little while is way too long. Don't do that again... What did he say, anyway?"_

_"Who?"_

_"Imhotep—before he fell. He said something in ancient Egyptian."_

_"He said... 'Love that lasts longer than the temples of the gods.'"_

_"No kidding. Talking about himself and that dame…?"_

_"Talking about us, I think—I think at the end... he envied us." She shook off the somber moment and gave him a mischievous grin. "Care to know what heaven looks like?"_

_"Naw." He gazed into her eyes. "Hell, I already know."_

_________

"They're asleep on the job." Spike said. He motioned to Anya. "Hey you, kick one for me. I don't feel like a bloody headache."

"You ARE a headache." Anya snapped as she knelt down next to Xander. She shoved him hard. "WAKE UP!"

"If you weren't human, I'd..."

Anya glared at him. "If I weren't human I'd be a vengeance demon and you wouldn't dare piss me off because I'd make something fall off or do something even more twisted."

Spike grabbed Jackson and dragged him into the jeep that he had 'borrowed'. "Hurry up and get your soon to be ex in the damn car. The sooner we get out of here the sooner we can save the slayer."

"I don't see why you care." Anya said. "You'll never get a chance to—"

"It doesn't change the way I feel instantly now does it?" The vampire said. "I feel how I feel and that's the bloody end of it. Now drag his ass into the car before I get nasty!" He walked over to Anya and helped her with Xander. "Besides, little bit would never forgive me if I let something happen to big sis."

"Nice to see you have your priorities straight." Anya muttered.

"What hit me?" Xander mumbled as he came to.

Anya cheered inwardly. "You're ok!"

Xander's head shot up. "Where's Buffy?"

Any hope Anya had that she was going to get to keep Xander after all, flew out the window just by the tone in his voice. "We don't know. We came to get you, and the two of you are all we found."

"In other words you lost the slayer." Spike snapped.

"We did not lose her." Xander hissed at him. "Imhotep took her."

Spike's eyes widened. "What? We just left him at the shop not long ago!"

"His powers are growing." Jackson murmured as he woke up. "He probably used some kind of magic to speed things up."

"We have to find her." Xander said, his voice frantic. "I can't lo…" His eyes widened as if he had just come to an epiphany. "That son of a bitch has my face!"

"What the hell is he talking about?" Spike asked as he got in the car and started it up. "Has he gone insane?"

"I think he knows." Anya said softly.

"Well, not MY face." Xander continued. "But my old one. And he just took—oh yeah, I'm kicking his ass."

"We have the little problem of finding her." Jackson pointed out.

"We'll have to see what Giles comes up with in town. We're supposed to meet him at his place." Spike said. "And after we save blondie, I'm going to ask if—"

Xander glowered at Spike from the back seat. "If you even THINK—"

"I was going to ask," Spike went on, ignoring Xander, "If she could lay off the nightly beatings. It's starting to get kinky."

_______ 

"You're wearing the bracelet!" Giles said, his mouth agape.

Vincent looked at his bracelet nonchalantly. "It seemed the natural thing to do."

Giles watched him warily. "I don't suppose you feel different some how. World domination perhaps?"

"I feel unusual, but not like that." Vincent frowned, as if trying to find the right words. "I feel… Complete."

"How comforting." Giles replied dryly.

The doors burst open and Spike, Anya, Jackson, and a very worried and pissed off looking Xander trudged in.

"Get some weapons. We're going to save Buffy." He announced.

"Buffy?" Giles asked. "They took her?"

"No, Giles," Anya said sarcasticly. "She's here with us, only invisible. Look she's behind you!"

Giles glared at her.  "Yes well, you're right, Xander. We have to save her. I was doing a bit of research and it seems they need a sacrifice for what they're doing."

"And that would be…" Jackson prodded.

"Opening the hellmouth." Giles said. 

"Why does everyone always want to open the hellmouth?" Xander asked as he started sorting through the stash of weapons Giles had. "When will they figure out its not an original idea?"

"That's not all they plan to do." A feminine voice said.

"Niranjana." Giles nodded toward the woman in the doorway. "I wasn't sure you had made it."

"I did, then I contacted my elders." She explained. "The sacrifice is not only to open the hellmouth, but to allow access to the power to control Anubis's army."

"Hey..." Vincent said suddenly.

"Anubis?" Jackson groaned, not paying attention to Vincent. "Oh that should be fun."

"Well come on ya bloody wankers," Spike prodded, "Lets go stop the big bad, save the slayer and then get this chip outta my head!" At the annoyed looks from the Anya and Giles, Spike shrugged. "Worth a shot."

"Guys..." Vincent began.

"Knowing where they went would be helpful." Jackson said.

Giles nodded in agreement. "The young man's right. We…wait, who are you?"

Vincent tried again. "Hello?"

"Jackson Randell. I'm with Xander. Tell them, Xander." Jackson said. He looked around the room. "Hey, where is he?"

"If the rest of you were paying attention," Vincent explained, "you'd have noticed the guy left not long after Niranjana got here."

"Is he crazy?" Jackson exclaimed.

"Worse." Anya said. "He's in love."


	8. Part 8

Disclaimer in part 1

PART 8

Buffy was in deep shit. There was no other way to put it. Imhotep and Rick had carted her to the one place she really really hated.

Sunnydale High.

Which could only mean one thing. 

"They're going to open the hellmouth again. God, can't they be original?" She muttered.

They had dragged her to the remains of the library and proceeded to chain her up. Buffy yanked at her chains, but they seemed to be made specifically for her.

"Oh the joy of it all." Buffy complained. She looked over at Rick and Imhotep, who seemed to be conversing on what to do. "Hey dead boy, can I have some water? Because I'm like really thirsty and—"

Rick sneered at her. "No. Now shut up!"

Buffy stuck her tongue out at him. "Meow, mister mad kitty. It was a simple request."

The vampire said nothing in response, but stalked out of the charred room, leaving the slayer with the mummy.

Imhotep walked over to her and stared at her intently. "You are her, aren't you."

Buffy inched away from him, then realized she could understand him. **Must be the Evelyn memories.** She thought to herself. **That's a nice perk.**

"Her who?" She asked him in his language. She couldn't help but cheer inwardly, as she seemed so fluent in it.

"The one who foiled me before. With the holy warrior."

"Evy?" Buffy asked. She shrugged. "Apparently."

Imhotep motioned to where Rick had wandered exited. "If you were free, could you kill him? Your love?"

Buffy nodded. "I could stake him. He's NOT my love. Vampires don't have souls. He just wears his face."

He allowed a moment to let that sink in. "Intriguing."

 "So what am I here for anyway? Planning on using me as a sacrifice?"

Imhotep nodded. "Yes you are. O'Connell wishes to open this… hellmouth."

"And you don't?"

"I want…" Imhotep trailed off softly, "I can not have. I see that now."

"But you're helping him."

"He has the Book of the Dead." Imhotep said in anger. "With that, the fool controls me."

Buffy's eyes widened, **The great mummy guy is a puppet this time around? Call me wowed.** "If you set me free, I'll stake the bastard and get the book!"

"He would have me kill you before you got near him."

She sighed, "Then what the hell am I supposed to do?"

"Wait." Imhotep said. "Fate has brought us all here for a reason. You, Anck-su-namun, The Scorpion King, Myself. Some how I do not believe it is because of this ignorant fool."

"Imhotep!" O'Connell barked out as he entered the crispy fried room. "Get your damn followers."

With one last look at Buffy, the mummy nodded curtly and began his task.

________ 

"Maybe I should have waited for the others." Xander muttered as he crept through the halls of his old high school. In one hand he held the simple, but sturdy long sword he had taken from Giles's weapons chest.

As he lurked, he began to hear chanting echoing off the blackened walls. **The Library of course.** He thought as he rushed over to the doorway as stealthy as possible.

He peered in, and sucked in a breath. Buffy was chained up next to the pit the three demons once tried to use to open the hellmouth once before. Around her, were several decaying mummy priests chanting, Imhotep standing stoic and cold nearby, and Rick O'Connell himself was watching it all, a twisted smile on his face. In his arms was a large book, which Xander naturally assumed to be the whole cause of this mess.

Xander's hands tightened their grip, and just as he was about to rush in…

A car crashed into the wall. Or rather a jeep.

Rick screamed in rage as debris went flying everywhere. "Who dares?"

There was loud curse and out of the driver's seat, tumbled Spike. The chipped vampire grinned maliciously at Rick. "I dare, so bloody sod off ya opportunist freak."

 "Continue the ritual!" O'Connell cried out as he personally decided to take on Spike, who rushed outside.

Xander took his chance and rushed into the room, swinging the sword. The mummies all turned to him as he lopped a head off one.

Buffy grinned widely. "XANDER!"

Xander fought his way towards Buffy, slashing and parrying at the priests and their ancient daggers. He sliced a mummy in half and slammed the sword into one of Buffy's chains, then immediately followed with a punch to the priest lurking behind her.

"Do you get a bit of a déjà vu feeling here?" Xander asked her, as he chopped on oncoming priest's arm off.

"Yes I do." Buffy agreed. "Now get me out of here!" She ordered as she yanked on her last chain.

"Your wish," He grunted as another mummy bit the dust, "Is my command." Xander finished and brought his sword down on the remaining chain.

Buffy massaged her wrists in annoyance and did a spin kick to a mummy's head, knocking it clean off. "Thank you. I don't suppose you have a weapon for me do you?"

"Slipped my mind."

"Figures."

With a sudden ease, the duo finished off the remaining priests easily, only to end up face to face with Imhotep.

"Oh hell." Xander swore. "This is so not good." Then it occurred to him that the mummy wasn't attacking. Merely watching. "Um, Buff, why isn't he—"

"O'Connell hasn't ordered him to attack." Buffy explained. "Imhotep is Rick's puppet."

"Oh. So does this mean I can kill him?"

Buffy smirked. "He wasn't ordered to attack, but it doesn't mean he won't if you try and maul him."

"Scratch that idea then."

"You fools ruined everything!" Rick shouted as he stalked back in, the book still in his clutches. "I'll make you pay for this! IMHOTEP!"

Imhotep stood at attention, as if waiting for a command. (Which he was, actually...)

"Get some friends." Rick ordered.

"Xander?" Buffy asked, as her eyes followed Imhotep's movements.

"Yeah Buffy?"

"I think we need to run."

Xander nodded and grabbed her hand. "I'm with you there."

They ran outside, pushing past O'Connell and the wreckage of Spike's jeep. They hadn't gotten very far when several mummy soldiers stalked out.

"Oh yeah, I'm really having a good day." Xander said.

_______ 

"Bloody hell!" Spike hissed as he stumbled in to the rest of the crew. "That bastard hits hard."

Giles glared at Spike. "You're an idiot."

"Really. As soon as you hear Xander's gone, you take the car to play rescue squad." Anya said. "Don't you hate Xander?"

"I wanted to save Buffy first. So sue me."

"He's annoying isn't he." Jackson stated.

Vincent nodded. "Apparently everyone hates him."

"Oh sod off!" The vampire snapped. "At least the little sis likes me. So go stick your head in a pit of vipers will ya?"

"Will you shut up!" Niranjana screeched. "I've had enough of your bickering!" She nodded at Spike. "Where are they?"

"I left them—" Spike began, only to be interrupted by a shriek. "—over there."

The group ran towards the sound of the scream without hesitation, only to see Xander and Buffy trying to fight off several mummy assailants with no luck.

"We can't take on that many." Anya said worriedly. "And I don't feel like dying."

Jackson sighed. "I wish I still had that nice machine gun..."

"I think I have something better."

Everyone turned to Vincent, to see his eyes glowing with a golden tint.

"Oh dear." Giles murmured.

__________ 

"We are so losing here." Buffy said as she tossed another soldier away from her.

"Are you giving up?" Xander asked.

"No, but I thought I'd point it out."

"Your optimism amazes me." Xander said.

The two were back to back, each wielding a sword now, (Buffy had snatched one from a fallen mummy guard) and were watching their opponents warily.

The mummies began marching towards them in a uniformed manner and black sand suddenly enveloped them.

"What the hell?" O'Connell turned to Imhotep in question. "What are you doing?"

Imhotep looked at him. "It is not I." He turned back to watch the scene.

The sand had begun taking shape, and soon the mummy soldiers found them facing the dog headed warriors of Anubis.

Rick's eyes blazed in fury. "No! How is this possible?!" He dropped the Book of the Dead and grabbed Imhotep in rage. "Do something!"

Imhotep smiled at him. "As you wish."

O'Connell found himself being flung into the air and out into the battle. He regained his bearings but had to dive out of the way, narrowly missing getting beheaded by an Anubis warrior. He got to his feet, only to find himself face to face with Xander.

Xander elbowed him in the face. "Hi there."

Still smiling from the safety of the library, Imhotep picked up the fallen book and left the mortals to their own devices.


	9. Part 9 Fin

Disclaimer in part 1

PART 9

Rick stumbled backward, blood cascading down his face. "You almost broke my nose!"

Xander answered him with a punch to the vampire's stomach. "That's the least of your worries." He grabbed Rick by the shirt and glared at him. "You tried to kill my Buffy. I don't like people who try and kill MY Buffy."

O'Connell growled at him, and changed to his vamp visage. "Moron, you have no idea who you're dealing with!" He drove his knee into Xander's stomach, causing the young man to release him.

Xander coughed, and slammed his fist into the vampire's face. "I really don't like you. First you take my old face, which by the way, I'm going to say doesn't look that great any more, must be the lack of sun on your part."

"What are you…" Rick's stumbled back, and his eyes widened in realization. "You're me."

"If I were you," Xander said, kicking the vampire in the chest, "I'd have staked myself a long time ago."

"You are an idiot, thinking you can beat me." O'Connell sneered.

"Blah blah blah." Xander mocked. "As much as I'd love to continue this conversation, I'm going to duck."

As Xander ducked, Rick's face was a palette of confusion, even as an Anubis warrior's sword met the vampire's neck. The vampire crumbled to dust and Xander rushed off to find Buffy.

_______ 

Buffy had managed to follow Imhotep back into the library, only to find him chanting. She frowned. "I knew you'd try something!"

Imhotep finished his chant and Buffy suddenly felt lightheaded. She blinked at him in bewilderment as she tried to keep herself focused. "What did…?"

"A gift." He said simply. "For a love that lasts longer than the temples of the gods."

Buffy shrieked as she felt every memory of her past lives swarm her mind, and she had to lean against the remains of a wall to stay upright. "Oh…dear..."

As Buffy collapsed, Niranjana, who had followed her inside, caught Buffy. The Med-Jai set her down gently and turned to Imhotep.

"It ends here." She said.

Imhotep nodded, his eyes filled with acceptance. "I know."

By the time Xander made it back inside, both the Med-Jai and the mummy were gone. He ran over to Buffy, who was slowly coming to. "Buffy? Are you okay?"

"Xander?" She murmured, opening her eyes.

He helped her get to her feet. "That would be me."

Instinctively, Buffy threw her arms around him. She forced herself to let go as she remembered a certain ex-demon. "Oh. Sorry."

Xander looked at her for a moment. "Buffy?"

"Yeah?"

"I think we have to have a talk."

________ 

Buffy was nervous. Everyone had returned to The Magic Shop and Xander had immediately led her to Giles's office and locked the door behind them.

She was still feeling lightheaded at what Imhotep had done, but she was grateful. Apparently he had cast a spell for her past lives memories to 'mesh' with hers rather than one life over powering another, as she felt was happening. Plus, she knew who everyone else really was…

Xander took a deep breath and looked at Buffy, who was sitting at Giles's desk. He watched as she brushed a lock of hair from her face and he could feel himself get light headed. Xander knew as much as he loved Anya, Buffy would always come first, and now he knew why.

His problem was what to do about it.

"Xander," Buffy said in a soft voice, snapping Xander from his thoughts, "What is it you think we need to talk about?"

He opened his mouth to speak but no words came out. He coughed and tried again. "This…is hard, and weird, and…"

"Just talk to me." Buffy said.

"Buffy, we've been getting along well since Glory…"

Buffy smiled. "I know. Almost like the old days."

"Yeah…well there's a reason for it I think."

"And that would be?"

Xander took a deep breath. "I think I'm falling in love with you all over again." He watched her, studying her reaction. He winced inwardly as her eyes fell to the floor, as if avoiding him.

"Don't you love Anya?" She asked him.

"I do. It's just not the same. When I'm with her, I'm happy, but when I'm with you, I feel…whole. Like there's nothing else that matters."

Buffy looked up at him. "Are you sure it's not just your old Rick memories?"

"Of course not. I—wait, you know?"

She nodded slowly. "Imhotep. He gave me back my memories, and showed me who was who."

They sat in silence for a moment, digesting the information. Xander walked over to Buffy and sat himself down on his knees.

"Here's the deal, Buff. It's got nothing to do with O'Connell, or Evy, or anyone else but us. I need to know if there's even a tiny chance of us without those 'strings' attached."

"And if there isn't?"

Xander flashed her an evil grin. "I'll keep trying anyway."

Buffy laughed and threw herself at him. In a strong, firm hug. "You…are impossible."

"I try. So? Any chance for your Xander-shaped friend?"

"I think there's a big chance." Buffy said. She smiled at him. "I stopped seeing you as just 'Xander-shaped' quite a while back."

"Is that good or bad?"

Buffy kissed him softly then pulled away with a smile as she looked at the shocked expression on his face. "Very good."

_______ 

"This bloody sucks." Spike moaned into his beer.

Anya nodded as she stole one of his beers. "I know. But we can't stand in the way."

"Why not? I'm evil! You're ex-evil. We can kill them!"

"I could." Anya pointed out. "You could just sit and watch."

"Oh shut up."

"Make me."

"I'll rip your bloody head off, you bloody wanker!"

"You repeat the word bloody often when you're drunk."

"Oh sod off!"

"Want to go have sex?"

"Sure, why not. Afterwards we can watch today's episode of Passions I had taped."

"Okay."

__________ 

Giles sipped his tea slowly. He was sitting in The Magic Box with Vincent and Jackson, discussing what next.

"You're just going back to selling artifacts?" Giles asked.

Vincent nodded. "I like it. It's my job. Although…I might go to more demon filled areas." He smiled. "It was kind of fun to fight evil."

"It's not all it's cracked up to be." Jackson said. "I remember when we had to save Evy after Anck-su-namun killed her. It—"

"You're in Jonathan mode." Giles said dryly.

Jackson shrugged the fact away. "Oh well. You try juggling these things around. It's not pretty. I've got memories of one hell of a party in London that involved at least 20 strippers and I've never even BEEN to the place since I was 15."

"20?" Giles blinked, his interest prodded. "Do tell."

"Well, Evy and O'Connell were off chasing some new venture, so I got to house sit and me and a few poker buddies invited…"

_______ 

"I must apologize."

"For?"

"The past. It was cowardly."

"I think it may have been for the best."

"Do you?"

"I see things differently now. It's better this way." Imhotep said

Niranjana simply nodded. "I suppose so. Come, we have a plane to catch."

"Where are we going?"

"Home." She smiled, a move that seemed somewhat out of place on her. "You are mortal. Perhaps there is hope for you."

"And us?"

"We shall see."


End file.
